Death always hits Xylia Morana too close to home, but she likes it that way. She hangs out with the terminally ill, attends random funerals, and every so often, when the weather is right, she sleeps in open graves.

But after Landon Phoenix, the high school hottie, dies in Xylia’s arms, she sneaks into the morgue to say goodbye. How could she know stealing a kiss from his corpse would wake him up?

With Landon returned to the living and suddenly interested in Xylia, life has new meaning. But what Xylia doesn’t realize is that by kissing Landon back to life, she’s thrown Life and Death off balance. The underworld demands a body, and it might just have to be Xylia’s this time.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Avery is conducting a giveaway through Rafflecopter, so check out the Rafflecopter sign up widget at the bottom of this post. and now for a snippet about publishing from Avery.

Publishing Right and Wrong?

This is strictly my opinion and some of you might not agree with me. And that’s okay.

I’ve learned over the years that there is no right or wrong way to get a book published.

Honestly, there isn’t. It’s all up to you as an aspiring Author on how you want to get your book into the hands of readers.

There is a bad misconception, I think, that has developed, and I think it’s best to say that sometimes this is a case of agree to disagree.

Not all books need agents and a Big six publisher. That might not be what you want, and it might not be what works for you and that’s okay.

Let’s face it, there are millions of writers and even less agents and even less publishers. So getting your novel in front of an agent, to which they will love it, become a die-hard fan and sell your novel in a bidding war to one of the big guys is like winning the lottery. Your chances aren’t always in your favour.

But still, there are gamblers. I was/am a gambler. I wrote novels, polished them to the point that I was blue in the face, and then because I still wasn’t sure if it was good enough I sent it to other people for even more polishing help. And then I sent it out to agents.

Then I realized the entire writing/publishing/reading industry is subjective. There will be people that love your novel and people that hate it, and people that just won’t bother reading it. So, if you catch an agent on a good day, you might get a full request or partial and, well, you might even find yourself receiving a rejection.

However what people don’t tell you is that there are other routes you can take. A rejection from an agent isn’t the end of the line for your novel if you don’t want it to be.

If you’ve weighed the options, you’ve decided that you do want to see your book in print, and have accepted the fact that it may not be with a big six publisher, what do you do next?

Decide how you want to achieve your goal of becoming a published Author, plain and simple.

You can find another way to traditionally publish your novel. There are many—with a little digging—publishers that accept un-agented submission. Sure they may be smaller, but they can still get your novel out into the world. You’ve still got a chance.

Since E-book readers have become so popular, and have taken over the internet, this is another way. You’re novel may not land itself a print version, however you can still have the backing of a publisher, you can still get your novel out into the world and you can still reach readers, millions of them.

But wait! There are also publishers that are a combination of the above. They are smaller presses that do e-book and print versions. The best of both worlds, sometimes they are known as POD (Print on Demand) there is still nothing wrong with that. So, your novel only gets printed when someone wants it. You may not find your book on every shelf in the country, but with sites like Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, the Book Depository and many others, your book for a small amount of shipping (or not) can travel across the globe and into the mailboxes of readers—which, of course is your ultimate goal.

Now, say you want your book published, and getting it done, in print and/or e-book is your only concern. There are presses that will do it, for a price. They say you should never have to pay for anything in this industry, or you are doing something wrong. Not always the case, and not always true. If you have a novel that you think will sell, you want it out into the world, but you need help with some of the aspects, like editing, cover design, promoting, and the like you can use what’s called a Vanity Press. I know the name suggests a certain tone. But hey, if you want your novel out there, and you don’t mind paying a little up front for a la carte services then this may be an option to consider. There’s nothing wrong with it in my opinion.

What happens if you are a go it alone type person? And you want complete control over every aspect of your novel. You want to be able to put out as little or as much funds into making your dream a reality, you want to design the cover, you want to write the back cover blurb and you have what it takes to promote and sell your novel. Perhaps self-publishing is for you. For some, this is an option that outweighs them all because it’s you and your novel against the world. There are many great Authors who have hit it big because their self-published novel made waves and grabbed attention.

Also, like playing the lottery, or finding an agent, or getting a novel published you can still be lucky enough to draw the winning numbers. Any of these forms of publication can still get you and your novel the attention it needs to snag a big guy or an agent. It happens. Maybe not all the time and maybe you won’t be that Author, but there’s still a chance.

When it comes to you and your novel, you know what’s best. Publishing isn’t easy, but you can make the ride smoother if you know what you want and you know how you want to get there.

Short Excerpt from A Stiff Kiss:

No way should I be in the morgue. If I’m caught, I’ll lose my job. My dad will probably get fired, too. He’s been warned to keep me out of here.

The walls are lined with thick, square doors, clearly marked with numbers. I stop in front of the one I want. In the middle of that wall, at waist height, is number twelve. Beyond the door, lying on a sliding metal table, is the body of Landon Phoenix.

I’ve always had a crush on Landon, ever since freshman year when his family moved to Silver Springs. I’ve watched him grow into his looks, no longer a gangly boy with braces. And I’ve longed to hear my name roll off his tongue in that deep voice of his. To press my lips against his as he holds me in a tight embrace. To share the same air as him.
Though now, all those things are impossible. Except one. I can pull open the door, slide the table out, and at least for a moment I can share the same air, even though his lungs can no longer pull in that air.

I hesitate, my hand on the handle. Besides my mother, this will be the only other person who’s died that I’ve really known. The others have just been people, random ones at that. The guy from the grocery store who jumped off Whibley Bridge into the icy waters below, the occasional patient of mine who’d succumbed to old age, and many, many others. But this is personal. This is someone I’d known. Or at least, someone I’d held secretly in my heart.

But I need to say goodbye.

About the Author:

Avery Olive is proudly Canadian. She is married, and when she’s not helping raise her very energetic and inquisitive son, she can be found working on her latest novel-where she devilishly adds U’s into every word she can.
When she is looking for a break Avery enjoys cake decorating, losing herself in a good book, or heading out to the lake to go camping.

The release of Avery’s first novel proves to her it won’t be the last. As long as her family continues to be supportive, she can find the time, and people want to read, Avery will keep on writing.

We managed to catch up with Bisi Leyton during her busy tour with Bewitching Book Tours for the release of Wisteria and had a chance to ask her a few questions. Keep reading below the interview to find out how you can win a Kindle Fire!

Blurb: Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows.

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

Interview

When did you first begin writing, and what inspired you to write your first book?

The first novel I wrote was when I was twelve and I was inspired by the Sweet Valley High Series. So I wrote some ‘interesting’ fan fiction called Beach Landers. I started writing it because I liked the SVH stories, but never liked how the stories ended and also because I only owned one book. My classmates seemed to have hundreds.

What books and authors have most influenced your life?

Roald Dahl and Jeffery Archer really got me to love reading.

Tell us a little about your main character, Wisteria Kuti. Is she based on any real-life person, or entirely from your imagination?

Both: She’s named after my niece, but a lot the bullying she goes through is from my teen years. In some ways Wisteria is who I wish I was in high school, even with all her baggage.

Faced with a world infested with flesh-eating biters, what would be your go-to method of defense and why?

Select an island with only one bridge in or out and with some farm land. On my way in, fall in love with an army Major and convince him and his company to come to my island (they’ll provide security and organise the workforce). Getting to the island blow up the bridge and trade with pirates.

In this ever-changing world, it behooves us to be prepared for disaster to happen at any moment. The Zombie Survival Crew members have a “go-bag” filled with items essential for their survival should disaster strike and they must flee to survive. What are the most essential items for your go-bag and why?

A crowbar – good for fending of zombies and marauders and breaking into places

Rat trap – Because face it, we gonna need a practical source of food and I can’t kill a deer.

Water purifier – For obvious reason, we need clean water

Map of whichever country I’m and how to get to Norway – lots of island and a very small population, so hopeful won’t be dealing with a lot of infected

A tool kit and instructions on how to use the tool kit – because you’ll never to what I’ll to break into

Book on Neuro Linguistic programming – so I can brainwashing anyone I need to help me and ensure in the survivor camp people don’t (a) plot against me (b)use me for food.

Having lived and worked in several countries, how do you feel that has shaped the person you are today?

Totally, because I’ve travelled some much right from when I was a kid, I don’t feel I can write about the normal world because I don’t know what that’s like or where anything is.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in writing for a young adult audience?

My worry is to make sure I’m not patronising my readers. I don’t really feel I should dumb down my writing. I know my readers are smart (and I’m learning they are a lot smarter than me). I also worry about the amount of violent, swearing and sex include and how to talk about it.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

If you have an idea, start writing and find people who you can talk to about your ideas. You will be surprised how much that helps you develop your story. Also, be clear who your audience is, it helps you focus.

What are you working on now? Can you tell us your latest news?

I’m working on two things. First will be the second and third book in the Wisteria Series. I hope they will be out mid-October and Early December respectively.

The second project is my new Young Adult Paranormal Series that I’ll launch in 2013. This will also have zombies, but will include a re-imaging of Frankenstein’s Monster.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

I just want to thank them for reading the post and taking the time to check out my book. They can find out more about Wisteria on my facebook page or my blog. And of course can email me at bisileyton {a t } gmail dot com

Wisteria Book Trailer

Author Bio:

Bisi Leyton was born in East London in 1978. She grew up in London, Nigeria and the States, listening to the stories life and love from aunts, cousins and big sisters.

She lives in London, but has worked around Europe including France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. She has a fondness for reading graphic novels.